A man from Stratford has had a second heart transplant.

Rashaun Weaver, 36, underwent the procedure at Yale New Haven Hospital, followed by a kidney transplant the next day.

Weaver received his first heart transplant at the age of 12. That heart lasted for 21 years.

"The way I understand it, they said the heart gets old. You’ve got to replace it,” said Rita, his mother.

Weaver dreaded having to endure more operations, but he says his mother helped him through the ordeal.

"She's always there for me. I'm 36 years old but she still treats me like I'm 12 years old. I love that woman,” he said.

The Weaver family also met with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who called his transplant “exciting and inspiring” and said it must be “replicated for more people by reducing the cost."

As Weaver’s mother prepares to bring her son home next week, she is deeply grateful for this new path forward.

"I urge people to become organ donors because this is the outcome,” she said.